The Newport Folk Festival is a standard among folk festivals. You may remember it as the “when Bob Dylan played electric” festival. It fell on hard times and closed for a few years, but everything has its ups-and-downs. In fact, it came back and today it’s bigger than ever, opening its stage to blues, alt country, folk rock, indie rock, and folk punk.

Bad news: For people in the Midwest who can’t afford to travel to Rhode Island – or the East Coast in general – Newport and other festivals may seem like pipe dreams. Good news: The Great River Folk Festival has been filling this gap since 1975. In its 41st year, the festival has supported local acts from La Crosse, WI, as well as national touring acts. Organizers Dave Shipper and Erin Maslowski explain how they have made the festival an integral part of their families.

“I use to have to drive, actually, four hours across the state, just to attend this festival,” says Schipper.

Schipper and Maslowski fell for the festival at first sight. Shipper explains, “I use to have to drive, actually, four hours across the state, just to attend this festival.” For him “it was the best festival in the state.”

Maslowski’s first encounter with the festival is bitter sweet: She and her husband ran across it on a bike ride before they moved away. Once they returned to the area, nothing stopped them from attending.

Now as parents with full-time jobs, Schipper and Maslowski have continued the tradition of family at the festival. It may sound odd, but there are festivals that you can bring your kids to. This isn’t a Chucky Cheese sort of affair – although the festival does have a magic act this year – or a campfire sing-along. It’s true, family integrated folk, that encourages parents to enjoy music and culture with their kids.

What Schipper and Maslowski want to remind us about isn’t why you should consider going to the festival. But more of the why not. Why not go and check it out? You may enjoy it in the end. After all, they do and so do their kids.